Steering-gear attachment



Dec. 17, 1929. R. E. FLATHERS 1,739,832

STEERING GEAR ATTACHMENT Filed sept. so, 192'/ (Hill,

Patented Dec. 17, 1929 ETE. I

wenn

Prem 'ortica RONALD E. FLATHERS, OF IROQ'UOIS, SO'TI-I DAKOTA, ASSIGNORT0 ED FLATHERS, 0F 1 IVROQUOIS, SOUT-I- DAKOTA STEERING-GEAR ATTACHMENTApplication led September l30, 1927. Serial No. 223,057.

This invention relates to attachments for the steering mechanism oftractors and other vehicles and especially to attachments which willAhold the wheels in a desired position to cause the vehicle to maintain acertain course.

At the present time the driving and steering of tractors or other heavyvehicles for farm use is very laborious and fatiguing. Not only does thedriver have to iight the steering 1o wheel all day but practically hisentire attention must be given to the steering of the vehicle in orderthatY the same may move through the desired course or follow the line.

It is the main obj ect of my invention to provide an extremely simplebut highly eiiicient steering attachment for vehicles and tractorscapable of universal application and adapted to cause the vehicle tomaintain ka desired course without requiring the attention of thedriver.

It is a further object to provide a self-steeringv attachment fortractors and other vehicles which will not interfere in any way with thenormal steering function of the 2? wheels, but which will releasably hold the wheels in avdesired` position.

More specifically itis an object of the invention to provide apparatusof the class abovereferred to adapted toco-operate with elements for thesteering mechanism and frame of the tractor or vehicle to accomplish thedesired results. s

Y These and ,other objects and advantages of the invention will beapparent from the following description made in connection with theaccompanying drawings wherein like reference characters 4refer tosimilar parts throughout the several views, and in which: Y Fig. l is aplan View of the front portion of a tractor frame showing the frontwheels and partrof the steering mechanism with an embodiment of myinvention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same;

Y Fig. 3is a vertical section taken on the line'B-S of F ig.'l,'withsome parts broken away;

Fig. 4 is a verticalsection taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. e;

Fig. 5 isa horizontal section taken on the line 5-.5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on the lme 6-6 of F ig. 3, showingthe vertical adjustment of the frame of one of my retaining elements;and n Fig. 7 is a vertical section taken on the line 7 7 of Fig. 1,showing one of the attach- Ibnent means for another of my retainingmemers.

In the drawings, the forward or steering jecting bracketY 14C rigidlysecured to front' vCil axle 9. Bracket 14 may comprise an L-shaped barhaving Va horizontal attachment portionl provided with a longitudinalslot 14a and having a substantially vertical supporting portion 149adapted to carry anl adjustable interlocking device. Bracket 14 may beattached' to the axle- 9 in any suitablemanner and as shown is providedwith a pair of clamping plates 15 disposed'belowaxle`9 and above thehorizontal portion of bracket 14 respectively,

saidclamps being clamped togetherrby means ofheavy bolts 16. Qbviously,bracketlt is capable of considerable adjustment with rel spect to axle9. An inverted U-shaped member 17 is adjustably secured to the verticalportion 14h of my bracket, suitable nutted bolts 1.8 being providedcarried by one leg of said U-shaped member and passing through averticalslot in the vertical portion 14h of the bracket. The legs of member 17are provided on their inner sides with oppositely alined verticalgrooves 19 in which a relatively small inverted U-shaped frame 20 isadapted to be slidably disposed. A coiled spring 21 is disposed betweenthebase or horizontal portion of frame 20 and the base or horizontalportion ofy U-shaped vmember 17, suitable studs or seats 22 beingprovided for holding said spring in place. A roller 23 is trunnioned inthe sides of frame 2O having its axis disposed substantially horizontaland perpendicular to axle 9.

Roller 23 yieldingly mounted within the U-member 17 is adapted toco-operate with a retaining member mounted on the connecting rod 11 toreleasably hold the wheels 8 in a desired position. As illustrated, arod or elonf gated retaining member 24 may be provided terminating inflattened portions 24EL and having a centrally disposed recess orinwardly vbent portion 24b of substantially semi-cylin`- drical contourto fit roller 23.- The flattened ends of rod 24 may be secured to theconnecting rod 11 by any suitable means, such as the .Ll-bolts 25 andwill, of course, be mounted on the side of connecting rod 11 adjacent tosaid cylinder.

I prefer tobend or otherwise formrods 24 in such manner that itisslightly bowed from the ends to the central portion thereof, per-`mitting roller 23 to fit the recess 24b at ap; proximately the sameheight at which said cylinder will engage the rod 24 adjacent the Figs.4 and 5. It will be obvious that the U-- shaped supporting' member I7may be adf' j'usted verticallyA with reference to the vertical portion14b of the bracket 14, while bracket 14 may be adjusted horizontally byloosening bolts 16.

j' Assuming the co-operating retaining ele*- ments to be properly set itis only necessary to turn the steering wheel until roller 23 engages itsseat or recess 241) in rod 24.v This can be easily felt by the driver,since there will be a slight resisting action when the' steering wheelis further turned. Engagement of cylinder 23 and rod 24 is sufficient tohold the Wheels against turning action and the vehicle canrbe driven ina straight line without requiring any attention on the part ofthedriver. lVhenit is desiredto` make a turn the steering wheel is operatedinthe l normal fashion, requiring slight additional effort toX releaseroller 23rv from engagement with rod 24. It will be seen that thestructure and mounting of frame 2O in co-oper'a-v tion with coiledspring 21 causes roller 23 to be yieldingly held against rod24.

My device can, of course, be set to cause the tractor or other vehicleto travel through a. curved path or in a circle, depending upon theposition of the front wheels when the bracket 14 is set upon the axle.

The adjustability of the U-shaped supporting member 17 with reference tothe bracket and the longitudinal adjustment of the bracket withreference to the axle permit my device to be installedfon differenttypes of` tractors and vehicles without necessitating the reconstructionor alteration of any of the vehicle parts.`

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I haveinvented anextremely simple but highly efiicient device for releasably setting thefront wheels ofthe tractor or other vehicle in a desired position,whereby the vehicle may be made to travel through a de# sired pathwithout requiring the attention of the driver. The parts are" few innumber, can be manufactured at little cost, and eens-iderable actualusage has shown the device te be efficientfor the purposes intended.

It will, of course, be vunflerstoed that various changes maybe made inthe forni, details, arrangement and p'iro porticnrs ef the parts withoutdeparting frein the scope ofthe invention.

Tf desired the positions ofk the' cooper'ating retaining parts may bereversed relatively to their supporting members', that is, bracket 14can be mounted with the U-sha'pedi supporting members 17 dependingtherefrprn, while rod 24 may be mounted on the under side of theconnecting rod 11, enabling roller `23 to engage its seat in rod 24.This mounting' of the' partsI is betterr suited to so'ine commercialtypes of vehicles' and tractors now in use.

What is claimed is A 1. A steering attachment 'formot'or' vehiclescomprising anarm adaptedto' be rigidly attached to a relativelystationaryportion of the frame of a vehicle and terminating adija cent'the connecting red of the steering mech: anis'm, a vertical guiderigidlycarriedat said end of said arm and` open at its portion adjacentsaid connecting rod, a roller support sl-idably mounted' insa'id guide,a roller journaled in said support, a retaining member" adapted to bexed to said connecting. :rod and"` extending longitudinally thereo'ff,x.said rel taining member having a'. seat or detentf adapted to beengagedY by said roller when the steering rnechansm'is moved: to apredemined position, means for yielding'ly l holding said rolleraga-inst said retaining member.

2. Tn' combination with the frontr axle andV the connecting rodI forAthe" steering mecha nism of a motor vehicle, a steering attachly mentcomprising an arm rigdly secure'dfto said front axlev and terminating'adjacent-said connecting rod, va vertical guide rigidly carb ried by theend` of said armf and extending substantially at right angles tosaid-connect'- iio ing rod7 a roller support slidably mounted in saidguide, said guide being open at its end adjacent said connecting rod, aretaining rod rigidly secured to said connecting rod and extendinglongitudinally thereof and having a concave seat adapted to be engagedby said roller When said steering mechanism is in a predeterminedposition and having inclined camming surfaces at the sides of said peat.

In testimony whereof I affix myY signature.

RONALD E. FLATHERS.

